


Torn in Pieces

by richiegeck0s



Category: From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series
Genre: "everyone's dead and we're healing together" trope, Angst, Eventual Smut, F/M, Lots of sexual tension, Post S3, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-06
Updated: 2017-02-24
Packaged: 2018-09-22 09:24:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9601229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/richiegeck0s/pseuds/richiegeck0s
Summary: Everyone’s dead.Everyone’s dead, and there’s not a damn thing either of them could do about it. Other than driving away, which is exactly what they’re doing.





	1. Chapter 1

Everyone’s dead.

Everyone’s dead, and there’s not a damn thing either of them could do about it. Other than driving away, which is exactly what they’re doing. Nondescript, early 2000s model SUV that barely got twenty miles to the gallon. It was an eyesore, a pain in the ass, but Kate’s one request had been that they take someone larger than a car considering it was the long haul. Without stops of any kind, it would take at least two days of straight driving to reach where they were going.

New Hampshire. Just the sound of the state made Seth cringe. It was somewhere neither of them had been before--somewhere to start over, to start completely fresh. It didn’t help it was really only a four hour drive to the Canadian border if they somehow got into trouble and needed to disappear again. They had about as much of a plan as the pair of them could handle, mostly just the suggestions that had stuck. Find a place, rent by the week if they could. They had papers, new identities. Seth Anderson, Kate Peters. Generic names. According to their IDs, they were from Minnesota and shared the same zip code. Kate’s ID said she was twenty one; they’d figured aging her up a bit would help thwart any attention that may come to an eighteen year old living with a guy in his early thirties. They hadn’t figured out how they’d explain to people what their relationship was. They had time. 

Seth hadn’t looked at the clock, at anything besides the road in hours. When he finally glanced at the clock, it was nearly midnight, and he realized they’d been driving for eight hours, no stops, other than to put gas in every couple of hours. He didn’t know if Kate was asleep or not, her head resting against the window, her head tilted away from him. They should probably stop and get a room for the night, at the very least go through a drive thru for some food, or find a 24 hour diner the was probably riddled with salmonella or e. coli. His eyes were starting to ache, having spent too long looking at the road, his mind practically mush after the last week of his life. 

He didn’t bother running any of it by Kate, knowing her answer to whatever question he asked would be, “I don’t care,” and he honestly didn’t know if he’d be able to handle hearing those words coming from her mouth again. After seeing a sign showing both lodgings and a 24 hour restaurant, he pulled off the highway. Sitting on the exit ramp, at the stop light with a damn “no right on red” sign, he reached over and nudged Kate gently, eyes never leaving the light as he withdrew his hand. It wasn’t until the light turned green and he turned that he heard her stir. Glancing at her from the corner of his eye, he saw her sit up straighter in the seat, smoothing her hair back.

Seth cleared his throat, flipping on his blinker to steer into the left turn lane, waiting for a couple of cars to pass. “Figured we need to eat, then we’d get a room for the night,” he said, knowing she wouldn’t give a shit either way what they did. For the most part, she’d checked out. He could hardly blame her honestly, after everything she’d been through. That being said, she made for a shitty companion right now. Seth glanced at her again as he turned into the parking lot, settling the awful SUV into a parking spot. He fished his wallet out of his pocket, thumbing through the cash he kept there, enough for their food. After they bought the SUV, they tore up the floor covering in the trunk to lay down a decent chunk of their cash, the rest stuffed into different bags, tucked where they could hide it or retrieve it easily.

“Where are we?” Kate asked softly, glancing around the parking lot. She sounded groggy, and Seth glanced at her as he turned the car off. 

“Still in Texas. I don’t think we’re ever gonna get out of this goddamn state,” he told her, clearing his throat as he opened the door to step out. On his feet, he stretched, rolling his shoulders to let his back crack into place. Looking down at himself, he grimaced. He was wearing jeans for the first time in years, and these wouldn’t be so bad if they weren’t the cheap, ugly ones they’d bought at a thrift store just north of the border. No one pays attention to a guy just like everyone else, so he’d ditched the suits.

Kate didn’t respond verbally, just nodding as she crossed her arms over her chest when he saw her shiver. He swallowed, his jaw tense as he took steps to follow her, clicking the button on the remote to lock the piece of shit car. They’d parked close enough to the doors that the SUV would never be out of their sight in case some poor, unexpecting bastard tried to break into it. Kate pulled the door to the diner open, holding it long enough for Seth to take hold of it.

The diner was every stereotype about truck stop restaurants come to life, but by then, Seth hardly cared, exhausted and ready to spend even twenty minutes outside that fucking SUV. When the old lady came to seat them, asking in the graveliest voice how many, Kate held up two fingers then, and he could just see the tension in her shoulders. He’d been at a loss for words in the last couple of days, since they decided what they were doing, where they were going. They walked toward their table and Seth’s hand came out to touch the back of shoulder gently, hesitantly, feeling her tense further under the weight of his hand. 

They slid into opposite sides of the of the booth, facing one another, and he saw Kate flash the waitress the most minimal curve of a polite smile as the lady sat their menus down before turning away to return to where she’d been chatting with an equally bored looking employee by the register. Looking over the menu, Seth tapped his fingers on the table rapidly, the idle habit he’d never been able to shake. He glanced up at Kate, seeing her bite at her thumbnail as she too looked over the menu. There was a part of him that wanted to fill the silence with small talk, but he knew that that would really get him nowhere. He was ridden with guilt, every damn time he looked at her. Though it was hardly like him, he wished that he knew how to comfort her, what to say that might give her a moment without pain, considering he would always be the one who’d dragged her and her family down the rabbithole.

“If you want to keep going tonight, I can drive,” Kate said, surprising him. In the last several days, she’d mostly only spoke when spoken to, and Seth shrugged in response.

“I don’t want to spend another damn minute in that damn SUV today,” he muttered, tone a bit harsher than he meant it to, blaming that fact on his hunger and exhaustion. “I want a real bed, and a real shower.” She didn’t argue, falling silent as she nodded. Their eyes met for a short second before they both looked away. 

The pair of them sat in silence until the same tired waitress came to take their order. They both got a burger and fries, the easiest thing to order at cheap diners because it was usually at least half edible. When Kate ordered mushrooms on her burger, his nose curled up in distaste instinctively, and if she had been in a better mood, she would’ve teased him about it. She ordered a chocolate shake as well, and damn, he was just grateful that she seemed to have an appetite. Seth was looking at her when she took the menu from off the table in front of him to hand them both back to the waitress, and she she looked back at him, her eyes dropped to the tabletop.

He tapped his heel against the floor idly, lacking anything else to do. He’d gotten to be that way, antsy during periods of downtime, in the last week since--damn, he hated it. In the week they’d spent in a shit motel before leaving Mexico, having nothing to do to occupy his time, Seth had grown fidgety and it seemed that being on the move again hadn’t cured that. His eyes drifted to Kate again, wishing he knew what to say to her, what she was thinking, wondering how she felt about all of this beyond agreeing to relocate, to start over. As he glanced at her, she was looking around the diner, making herself aware of her surroundings, just like he’d taught her. 

It’d been long enough since she’d dyed her hair that the red tint was starting to show through, and he made a mental note to pick up a box of dye if they ever shopped somewhere that wasn’t a gas station in the next several days. She’d dealt with the red for a while, but as time went on and her dark roots grew out, she started to hate it and had been coloring it ever since. Last time, she’d asked him to help her. It hadn’t gone well, to say the least. His hands had barely fit in those stupid little gloves, while the smell of the dye somehow made him dizzy. He’d had a splotch of dye on his forehead for days and he had missed a rather sizeable section of her hair. 

“Do you remember that diner we went to that one time? In Mexico? Where that drunk lady decided she wanted to eat with us and ended up falling asleep before her food even showed?” For the first time in ages, there was a bit of humor to her voice, and when he looked up at her again, she had a ghost of a grin on her face. Seth scoffed in response, nodding. It’d been in the three months they’d spent running jobs, doing fuckall in Mexico. That was one of few nights they’d spent laughing instead of fighting.

“How could I forget?” he responded, voice low as he glanced around the diner then, taking note of the exits. Old habits died hard, even after everyone he knew, including his old self, had, in fact, died. “What was her name again? Valentina, Virginia? It was something with a V, I know that much.”

Kate’s smile widened. “Valencia,” she said, exaggerating the name before laughing softly. When the woman’s head had dropped onto Kate’s shoulder, she swiped her wallet, paying for their own food ‘for the inconvenience of it all,’ as she’d said to justify it later. She laughed again, shaking her head at the memory before exhaling a breath. A grin stayed put on his face for a moment before his expression relaxed and he licked his lips, eyes staying on her features before he glanced away.

Seth was about to say something when their food showed up, his mind shifting then to the plate in front of him, which was the first thing he’d eaten in days that was actually cooked instead of being individually wrapped. His mouth just watered, looking down at his plate as he reached for the bottle of ketchup at the same time that Kate did. Their fingers brushed and he looked up then, making eye contact with her before clearing his throat and nodding toward the bottle, silently telling her to take it first. She did, and he focused on his fries, hungry enough to munch on a few without ketchup. Chewing, his eyes lifted to watch her shake a bit onto the edge of her plate before placing the bottle where he could reach it easily. 

Being the savage he was, Seth took the bottle, shaking the ketchup directly onto his fries. In his peripheral vision, he caught Kate’s look of distaste, the way her nose scrunched up, over that habit of his as she rather pointedly picked up one of her fries to dip it in the spot of ketchup. She’d always said that him doing that was just plain disgusting. Once, she’d jokingly said it ruined the sanctitude of the fries. He didn’t give a shit though, and hell, now he mostly did it just to bother her. The ability to bother her was one of the few things he had left in the world.

They ate in near silence, glancing up at each other every so often for a lack of anything better to do, both of them exhausted and well worn beyond the point of being able to hold much of a conversation. Additionally, neither of them had much to say to the other at that point. The food was decent, thankfully, considering it was the first full meal he’d had in probably a week or so. Kate seemed to be enjoying her milkshake to say the least, her burger devoured, her fries picked over. She’d pushed her plate away a bit to poise the tall glass in front of her, reaching for the spoon to fish out the cherry that had sunk to the bottom. He watched her, noting the way her tongue was poking out of her mouth in concentration as she continued to seek out the cherry using the long spoon. 

“You need help over there?” he asked eventually, eyebrow raised as he balled up the napkin he had in his hand before tossing it onto the surface of his cleared plate. Kate gave him a look then, eyebrows drawn together slightly in irritation. Pushing his own plate forward, Seth leaned back in the booth a bit, stretching his legs out under the table. His foot had nudged at Kate’s accidentally, but he ignored that fact, instead forcing his body to relax as he exhaled a sigh. He’d be patient for now, letting her take the time to finish the shake, but damn, he was exhausted. If they stayed there long enough, he could probably fall asleep right there in that booth. 

A moment later, she got the cherry, Seth’s eyes heavy yet still settled on her. She looked rather proud of herself, taking another long sip from the straw before pushing the glass forward to settle next to her plate. Her eyes met him and she nodded, signalling that she was ready to go. Their waitress hadn’t returned with a bill, not that it really mattered, and Seth fished the wad of cash out of his pocket, throwing thirty bucks down onto the tabletop as he slid out of the booth. He waited for Kate to stand, then nodded toward door, letting her take the lead. Damn near dead on his feet, all he could thinking about was getting a room in the surely trash motel tucked behind the diner, how good it’d feel to drop onto a bed and sleep for the next several hours.

Outside, Seth tossed her the keys to the SUV. “I’m just gonna walk over and get a room. Bring the car over,” he told her, starting toward the lit up sign showing where the office was. He patted his pockets, feeling the bundle of cash, the plastic rectangle of his new ID, unsure if they’d want it when he got the room.

Thankfully, it was hardly a painful process. The guy working the desk clearly had very little ambition, taking the cash, nodding lazily toward the clipboard to have Seth sign before handing him a key, telling him the room number. Easy enough, thankfully. He didn’t have the energy for small talk tonight, especially with a complete stranger.

When he stepped out of the office, Kate was still sitting in the driver’s side of the SUV, glancing around. He approached, motioning for her to roll down the window. “Move the car down, room 19. I’ll get the room open, help you with the shit.” Their exchange was short, and Kate nodded, rolling the window up as she put the SUV in reverse to back out of the spot, driving down the length of the building. The rather cool air was keeping Seth awake just enough to function, sure he’d be asleep within minutes of getting in the room.

The room smelled musty, which hardly surprised Seth. The headlights were shining through the curtains as he flipped on the lamp, rolling his eyes when he realized that there was single queen sized bed. Fucking typical. He checked out the bathroom, mostly glancing, and he headed back out the door to grab his duffel bag, passing Kate in the process. He was so tired that his eyes absolutely ached, feeling sluggish as he glanced around the parking lot for anything that looked too shady before following Kate into the room. After deadbolting the door, Seth took the keys from her when she offered them, clicking the lock button on the remote until it beeped. 

“I know it’s not ideal, but I’m too exhausted to sleep on the floor tonight. Didn’t even think to ask for two beds. You gonna be okay with me sleeping on the edge of the mattress?” Seth asked, glancing at her quickly. She was already unzipping her back, sifting through it until she pulled out her brush. 

“Yeah, I don’t care,” she responded, shrugging as she dragged the brush through her hair before pulling the dark strands back into a bun. Sharing a bed wasn’t out of the ordinary between them, but he still always made sure to clear it with her first. In the time they’d spent on the road with Richie, they shared a bed half the time, because Seth wasn’t about to share a bed with his brother, or subject Kate to sharing a bed with Richie.

With his eyes practically locked on the bed, Seth started to undress, ready to both climb into bed and be out of the awful clothes he’d been stuck in all day. It still felt bizarre to not be in a suit, but whatever, blending it was more important than sticking to his signature look. He kicked the jeans off then, leaving them in a crumpled, discarded heap on the floor, leaving the well-worn, black t-shirt on, along with his boxers. Seth barely even cast a glance at Kate as he climbed into the bed, exhaling a deep breath as he forced his body to relax against the mattress. 

“D’you want me to turn off the light for you?” Kate asked, voice soft as she was already gravitating toward the lightswitch next to the door. When Seth glanced at her, she had her toiletries bag in her hand, a change of clothes draped over her arm. 

“Don’t worry about it,” he told her, shifting onto his right side, his back to her. He was basically on the edge of the mattress where he’d likely stay for the duration of the night. Sharing a bed with her could sometimes get awkward, finding himself waking up halfway through the night with his body pressed to hers, or her hand outstretched and touching him. With how tired he was though, he doubted he’d end up moving in his sleep at all. He settled his arm under the pillow, pulling the blanket up over his torso as he listened the soft sounds of Kate’s footsteps as she headed to the bathroom. His eyes closed, letting his body relax to embrace the sleep he was so desperate for.

In the bathroom, Kate stared at herself in the mirror, her hands poised against the counter of the vanity. She studied her features, noting the way her face had lost its roundness, that she needed to dye her hair again. She’d slept a bit in the car, but it had hardly a restful or deep sleep. It felt good to have a full stomach, and god, that milkshake had hit the spot. She was ready for bed, hoping that Seth might let her sleep in. Soon enough, her eyes left the mirror and she started to undress, stripping down to just her underwear before tugging on a pair of sweatpants and a shirt that had once been Scott’s. She tightened the bun that her hair was tied into and she sighed, wondering for the eightieth time that day how her life had come to this. 

She doubted she’d ever stop questioning that, running through the endless possibilities of how even the most minute changes could’ve changed literally everything. Seth had said it himself at one point, that she was supposed to be in a church choir, at prom, something, anything other than where she was now, in a cheap, ugly motel room, about to share a bed with Seth Gecko again. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, taking a deep breath as she balled up the clothes she’d been wearing, doing her best to make sure her bra wasn’t at all visible in case Seth was still awake when she went out there.

From what she could tell though, in opening the door and stepping out into the main space of the room, Seth was asleep already, settled on the absolute edge of the mattress to give her most of the bed. She’d quickly learned how to tell when he was asleep, versus trying to get there, in the way his body went entirely lax when he was asleep, the placid look on his face making him look much younger than he was, curled under the blankets. She’d paused at the foot of the bed to look at him for a moment before she snapped out of it, moving then to put her clothes in her duffel bag before moving to flip off the light.

In the dark, she moved slowly back to the bed, not wanting to stub her toe on anything. When her knees in the old, surely uncomfortable mattress, she shifted to climb onto it, dropping onto her side as she pulled the blankets over her. From the dim light cascading through the small gap in the curtains, she could make out the line of Seth’s sleeping frame, hating that she wanted to reach out, run her fingers through his hair just as a simple, comforting gesture. She felt the urge to comfort him often, as bizarre as that was, and most times she didn’t bother, knowing he’d likely just laugh at her for it. Truth be told, if she had to be stuck in this position with anyone, she was glad it was Seth, knowing that he was strong, that he cared about her enough to bring her along, to keep her alive for the time being. She was grateful for that. 

Kate stared at the back of his head for a few minutes longer, trying to slow her thoughts. She could start to feel herself getting drowsy, and knowing that she seldom was able to fall asleep while lying on her side, she shifted onto her back. Staring at the ceiling wasn’t as enticing as the back of his head, but that hardly concerned her anymore, knowing that the following day would be more of the same. She was anxious to arrive at their destination, not knowing what New Hampshire might hold, if they could, in fact, start over and live as if they hadn’t both lost the only people they loved, like they didn’t know about the existence of culebras, of demons. At this rate, they’d spend another two and a half days on the road, stuck in their own personal limbo, stuck between the before and after of the move that would potentially define the rest of their lives. 

Even as Kate gave into the drowsiness that crept over her, she wanted to reach out for Seth, to just touch his back, his shoulder for a moment in thanks, feeling like the only time she could express such feelings to him when he was asleep. Tomorrow would be another day, another day of driving, of moving forward, of healing, and she welcomed the sleep that would close out the day she’d had and bring her forward to a new one.


	2. Chapter 2

Kate woke up on her own for the first time in ages. That feeling was almost on the confusing side, as slowly being pulled from her slumber was hardly a familiar sensation anymore. Light was streaming through the gap in the curtains, and that fact alone almost surprised her. Seth tended to be an up and out by dawn type of companion, but either he was taking it easy on her for once, or he’d been so exhausted himself that he was still asleep. When she shifted onto her opposite side, she was greeted by the sight of the back of his head, confirming that he hadn’t found it in the goodness of his heart to let her sleep in. He was still poised in the same spot as he’d fallen asleep in, and Kate laid there for a moment to savor the fact of being able to sleep in for once.

She wondered if she should wake him up, though she was relatively certain that if she did, he’d grumble at her, or blame her for the fact that they’d slept later than he had surely intended, so instead, she left him where he was as she slipped out of bed, adjusting the hem of her shirt as she did so, as it’d ridden up in her sleep. The carpet was rough under the soles of her bare feet, the texture of it making her palms itch, like the sound of nails on a chalkboard did. Her duffel was still on the chair where she’d left it the night before, and she sifted through it for clean clothes, realizing that most of what she had and liked was dirty by then. They’d have to go to a laundromat soon, always her least favorite activity where Seth was involved. Seth was like a teenager when it came to laundry, she had long since realized, throwing things in the washer inside out, stuffing the machines well beyond their capacity then arguing with the owners when they complained. He always let it resolve into some huge ordeal, and most times, Kate ended up just doing his laundry for him, having long since decided that that was just easier for everyone involved. 

After a bit of searching, she found what she was after though, a clean pair of underwear, a bra that wasn’t falling apart, a tank top that fit properly. Her jeans from the day before would work fine, as they’d have to, considering they were one of two pairs she had, and the others were wearing a hole in the thigh. Kate was almost out of shampoo, and toothpaste, so she’d have to end up making Seth stop at a drugstore or something along the way. As she moved around the motel room, she pulled a pair of towels down from the shelf, leaving one there for Seth before stepping into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

The water pressure sucked, she could tell that the second she turned on the water to the shower. A poor shower was better than no shower, she decided, considering she was out of dry shampoo. Since the water was taking awhile to heat up, she turned to the sink to brush her teeth, taking her sweet time in doing so. She dripped toothpaste on the shirt she was wearing and she rolled her eyes before spitting the mouthful into the sink. Typical. Turning the handle to the sink, she put her toothbrush back in its handy little holder before stripping down to nothing before stepping into the shower. 

It took a long couple of minutes for Seth to wake up. He came to rather gradually, first shifting onto his back, noticing the pain in his neck, then shifting onto his back. The sound of the shower running is what made him open his eyes slowly, a yawn leaving him a second later. The fact that the shower was on made it obvious that Kate was no longer in bed with him, so he took advantage of that, stretching out a bit across the mattress. His neck craned to the left to look at the alarm clock on the nightstand. He’d slept later than he’d meant to, but damn, he’d needed the rest. It was nearly nine, still early enough to get at least fifteen hours of driving in.

For the first time in what felt like ages, Seth was letting himself relax. He tucked an arm behind his head, and he even thought about reaching for the remote to the television, though he felt that if he did, he might never want to get out of bed. The bed was less than comfortable, the cheap sheets almost scratchy against the skin of his legs as he laid there, enjoying the near silence and bit of solitude. It wouldn’t be hard to fall asleep again, that idea almost overwhelmingly appealing, having to repress the urge to roll onto his side again and press his face into the pillow and give into his exhaustion. 

That whole idea was thwarted when the sound of the shower running cut off, and Seth sighed, nuzzling back against the pillow lightly, almost as if saying goodbye to it. He knew Kate was going to tell him to shower, and he knew he needed it, considering it’d been a couple of days at that point. What he really needed was to stop making mental notes and to actually write notes about shit to do as he added shaving to a list that was floating about his head. If for no other reason than settling into a daily routine, the ability to sleep in from time to time, to buy clothes he actually liked even a fraction more than the shit he’d been wearing, he was ready to reaching New Hampshire. 

After a couple of minutes of silence, the bathroom door opened. Seth cleared his throat when he saw Kate, dressed in jeans and a black tank top, the clothes she’d slept in tucked under her arm as she was still towel drying her hair. “Morning,” Seth said, voice rough as he licked his lips, glancing at her again a second later. 

“Hey, morning,” she responded, clearing her throat as she tucked her clothes into her duffel bag before straightening up. Kate moved to sit on the edge of the bad, still trying to squeeze the wetness out of her hair as she looked over her shoulder at him. “You oughta shower. Water pressure kind of sucks, and there are cold spots in the water, but it’s a shower.” She paused then, clearing her throat. “We need to stop somewhere today, a pharmacy or something. There’s a few things I need.” A rebuttal was already on the tip of the tongue if he somehow started to protest her request, but surprisingly, he only made a noise of disinterest. That was easier than she anticipated.

Kate thought about mentioning the shower again, seeing as how he really hadn’t made any effort to get up, and usually he was the one who was urging and rushing her along in the mornings, especially when they were already running late. She assumed that if she did though, he’d likely snap at her in one way or another, and it was too early to deal with that today. A few more moments of towel drying her hair, she tossed the towel forward toward the dresser before laying back against the bed. She could feel his eyes on her then, and a moment later, he was getting out of the bed. Her eyes closed, not to necessarily keep her eyes off of him, but rather to try to keep her relaxed for a bit longer. 

She stayed put on the bed, nearly dozing off as she listened to the shower turn on, the sound of the water rushing through the pipes. It was bizarre to have alone time outside of the bathroom, so now, she’d savor it. Her body spread out across the mattress and she shifted onto her side, body drawn to the warm spot Seth’s form had left. Part of her wanted to go back to sleep, wishfully wondering if Seth would allow her to doze for a while longer. At that point, they were hardly in a rush, out of any imminent danger, but still found themselves rushing for what they’d decided would be their new home.

As hard as she tried, she couldn’t keep herself from thinking about her dad, her brother, and she tried to banish those thoughts from her mind. Thankfully, she heard the shower cut off and she sat up then, knowing he’d be barking the it was time to get going the second he walked out of the bathroom. Kate got to her feet as she heard the bathroom door open, turning her head to glance at him as he came out, towel wrapped around his hips.

“Be ready in fifteen,” Seth told her, making eye contact for a split second before his attention turned to his bag. Surprise, surprise. She nodded as she heard the zipper open, her attention turning to her own bag, grabbing her brush to drag it through her damp hair before returning it to the duffel before making sure her necessities were where they needed to be. Toothbrush, toothpaste, nearly empty bottles of shampoo and conditioner, deodorant. Check, check, check, and check.

If she didn’t sense Seth’s sour mood in the space between them, Kate might’ve teased him about how long it was taking him to get ready, but instead, she stayed silent, glancing at him as he pulled his shirt on over his head. It was weird to see him in jeans, t-shirts, and the like; it probably always would be. She would always first think of him as the suited man who’d uprooted her life. The casual dress made him look less lethal, like a normal guy out who didn’t know about culebras and the true state of the world. The look fit him well enough, and often, seeing him like that made her wonder where he might’ve ended up if life had dealt him different cards.

After zipping her bag, Kate hauled it over to the edge of the bed where she sat, shoving her feet into her shoes easily. She was slouching, chewing on her bottom lip as she studied her nails for a moment before looking back at him idly. There was tension in his shoulders, though that was no real surprise. Sometimes, Kate wondered went through his mind, how he dealt with the weight of the world resting on his shoulders because he wouldn’t even consider letting someone else take any of that weight on themselves. With seldom anything else to focus on otherwise, she sometimes worked through different scenarios in her mind, trying to imagine Seth in a more mundane way, as a teacher, as a banker, something.

“You good?” Seth asked, yanking her out of her thoughts. He wasn’t even looking at her, but she realized then that she was staring at him. Looking away from him, she cleared her throat and stood, lifting her bag onto her shoulder. She gave a minimally verbal response, glancing around the room quickly then to ensure she hadn’t somehow left anything of importance. They made eye contact for a short moment and he reached to pick up the keys. “You wanna go check us out? I’ll load up the car.”

Kate nodded but otherwise stayed silent, because really, she didn’t know what to say to him. That was a common thing for the most part, deciding silence was easier than forced conversation, especially at times like this where he surely didn’t have anything nice to say.

That silence plagued them for the rest of the day. Kate got them checked out and forced herself to make small talk with the acne ridden teenager working the front desk until Seth saved her by honking from outside the office. They stopped for gas, and Kate grabbed a snack or two, some water and soda for the road, a makeshift breakfast and lunch that would get them through the majority of the driving they hoped to get through.

The SUV could usually go about three hundred and twenty miles on a full tank, so they have to stop every four hours for gas. Each time the gas light turned on, he’d let out a breath and Kate could practically read his mind, knowing he was thinking silently that a car would’ve got them further, cost them less in gas. Seth drove like a maniac half the time, she’d known that since they’d first left the Twister three years ago. She thought about telling him to slow down, reminding him that he didn’t need to get pulled over and slapped with a speeding ticket with a fake ID, but she stayed silent.

Each time they stop, Kate went into the gas station, or at least walked around a bit to stretch her legs. One of the times, they stop at a truck stop, and she perused the rack of audio books, a bemused smile settling on her lips as she thought about what Seth’s reaction would be if she climbed back in the car with something like Fifty Shades of Grey or some fluffy romance novel for them to listen to, for something to ease the silence they sat in. Next time, she decided. Instead, she bought a couple of paperbacks, not even bothering to read the summaries, because if she spent that time, she’d have Seth honking at her again to rush her. 

They weren’t getting as far as Seth wanted to that day and it was pissing him off, that much was obvious to Kate. They made it through Louisiana and Mississippi, into Alabama by the time Kate started to get restless. They were passing signs for Birmingham when she suggested they stop for the night, Seth grunted in response and she fell silent. A minute later, and he sighed, reaching for the cheap GPS that was guiding their path.

“We hit Chattanooga in two hours, think you’ll survive that?” he asked, glancing at her. She looked over his features before nodding, turning a second later to look out the window. It was dark by then, so really, she couldn’t see much of anything. She drummed her fingers on her thigh, her restlessness turning into anxiety.

They didn’t make it to Chattanooga. Kate didn’t know if Seth had picked up on her tension, or if he’d gotten tired himself, but she was grateful when he pulled off the highway. They passed a couple of motels, and she was about to ask where they were going when he turned into a Walgreen’s parking lot, her eyes drifting to the sign blinking that they were open 24 hours. She tried to conceal her smile as she glanced at him, unfastening her seatbelt.

“Make it quick, alright?” he said, looking at her then as he turned the SUV off, slumping down in the seat a bit more. Kate nodded almost obediently, quickly asking if he needed anything as she reached to pat her pocket, making sure she had her small bundle of cash. He said he didn't need anything, but she knew that was a lie. 

Mostly to piss him off, she took her time in the store, going down every aisle, because oddly enough, she missed shopping. She picked up a basket when she came through the doors, settling it in the crook of her elbow as she wandered around a bit. Her body ached a bit from spending all day in the car, and it felt good to be able to walk around freely. She picked up toothpaste, a tube for each of them, and decided to splurge on the more expensive shampoo and conditioner that smelled like roses. When it came to hair dye, that's where she spent a bit of time, trying to decide how dark she wanted to go. Last time, she'd gone pure black, and she hasn't been crazy about it, considering it'd washed her out, leaving her looking rather ill. Making a decision, she went with the rich brown that was a bit darker than her natural color, grabbing two boxes given the length of her hair. From there, she moved on, grabbing two tubes of deodorant, one for her, one for Seth, just wanting to make sure they each had the essentials. She hovered around the cosmetics, taking in the brightly lit displays, showing a bit of curiosity in products, through for the most part, she'd never learned how to properly do her makeup to the extent that would warrant purchasing any. 

On her way to the cash register, she stopped in the snack aisle, grabbing a bag of chips - barbecue, which she knew were Seth’s favorite - and a pack of Oreos. That would suffice for dinner, she decided, also with the pack of honey roasted peanuts she still had in the car. There were still bottles of water in the SUV, so she didn't bother grabbing anything to drink. As she unloaded the basket at the register, she added a couple of candy bars, a tube of chapstick, realizing then that she was likely channeling her restless energy into shopping, even when it was just for snacks and toiletries. Kate didn't know how long she'd been in there by then, given she didn't have a watch, and she really didn't care, simply enjoying the fact that she wasn't in the same space as Seth for the first time in what felt like ages. 

Waiting for Kate to come out of the drug store, Seth was reminded of why he really fucking hated that he’d let her talk him into getting that damn SUV. Sitting there, he felt like a father waiting for his teenage daughter, and that thought alone made him curl his mouth into an expression of distaste. He was more exhausted than he’d ever let on, just so goddamn worn out after three fucking years of...this. Truth be told, the idea of starting over scared him, the idea of no longer pulling jobs, no more being on the run was almost overwhelming. It was all he seemed to know anymore, and sitting idle in fucking New Hampshire was damn near sickening. He knew it was necessary though, for his own sanity and for Kate’s. It was hard to think about the fact that she was all he had left in the world, the teenager whose life he’d ruined years earlier, that he was all she had left as well. That scared him, and often, he wondered how she saw him, how much resentment she felt toward him all of the shit he’d dragged her through. There were times where he looked at her and desperately wished that he could read her mind, to know how she was feeling. As short with her as he usually was with her, he’d do anything he had to to protect her. 

He was getting lost in his own mind, Seth knew that, and he also knew that that was the exact opposite of what he needed to be doing then. His stomach growled, and he reached for a bottle of water, twisting off the cap. His thoughts shifted to things they needed to do, things they needed to buy--phones, furniture, clothes that fit. They should probably stop and buy a computer the next day, start scoping out somewhere to stay once they reached their destination, because goddammit, he was tired of sleeping in fucking motels day in and day out. The idea of a normal life still seemed foreign, but damn, he was sick of being on the road. He was slouching, gradually sinking into the seat as he wandered further and further into his head. Seeing Kate come out the sliding glass doors, he straightened up then, hand already moving to turn the key in the ignition.

Of course, when she got in the car, the first thing Seth did was comment on how long she'd taken. She didn't grant him any sort response as she fastened her seatbelt. “There's a motel down the street. We'll just stop here. It's not worth getting back on the highway,” he said when he decided she didn't have much fight in her tonight. “You want me to stop somewhere for food?”

Kate glanced at him, shaking her head. “Figured we'd have snacks for dinner. I got some Oreos and grabbed you some barbecue chips,” she said, shrugging simply as she sank into the seat a bit more. “Will you help me with my hair tonight? I know it was messy last time and it gave you a headache but I’d-”

“Yeah, I'll do it,” Seth said, cutting her off. Just from his tone, she could tell his patience was running thin, but hey, he'd agreed to it. She grinned to herself, rather pleased that she hadn’t needed to barter with him or twist his arm to get him to agree. 

It took a bit of looking to find a place with vacancy. According to the toothless hicks at the desk at every motel they tried, there was some sort of race the next day, hence the lack of cheap vacancies. They ended up at an actual hotel that night because of the lack of vacancies, but Kate wasn’t about to complain. As they waited for the elevator, Seth grumbled about having to shell out double what they normally would for a room, but Kate would enjoy the fact that the room would be clean, that the beds and sheets would be comfortable. He’d been firm at the front desk about getting a room with two beds, something that had made her grin despite herself. They stood and waited for the elevator, their elbows nearly touching, and she could practically feel the irritation radiating off of him about the price of the room. 

The room was nice. Nicer than she was used to anymore by a longshot. The carpet was unstained, there was a tv that was less that 20 years old, and the water pressure was out of this world. Even Seth looked mildly impressed, but that look vanished as soon as he saw Kate looking at him. Dropping her bag on the bed, she fished out an old t-shirt that could survive getting stained with hair dye. She slipped into the bathroom to change, pulling on the t-shirt and a pair of running shorts that were so old that the hem was fraying. When she left the bathroom, Seth had turned on the tv and had opened the bag of chips, idly munching by then. Her hair could wait, she decided, reaching for the bag of Oreos and settled on the bed he had claimed, given it had a better view of the tv. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d actively sat down to watch television, so doing so now, eating cookies in bed was bizarre to her.

The pair of them were quiet for a while, surrounded by the sound of the tv, the sounds of them chewing on their respective dinners. Eventually, they got to their feet and moved into the bathroom. Even then as he stood there, leaning against the doorframe as she mixed the dye, they didn’t talk much. Silence was easier. Light conversation started up as he was working the dye into her hair a few minutes later, her teasing him that he was quite good at it, that maybe he should go to cosmetology school, him responding that he wouldn’t be able to handle dealing with uppity white ladies day in and day out. Because they were standing so close, they spoke in quiet voices, and there were bouts of soft laughter settling between them. They’d flipped on the exhaust fan, left the door open, so the smell of the dye wasn’t bothering Seth that time, meaning Kate didn’t have to listen to him complain, which was always a good thing.

It was an easy night, thankfully, and once her hair was saturated with the dye, and Wes had stripped the plastic gloves off of his hands, they returned to the main space of the hotel room, both settling on the same bed. Kate glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand, making a mental note to keep checking until the dye had set. Seth offered her a handful of chips and she, in turn, offered him some Oreos. She knew she’d regret having such a small dinner in the middle of the night when she woke up starving, but for now, it’d do.

“We get halfway through Pennsylvania tomorrow, then we’ll have a one more day of driving, and it’ll be a short one,” Seth said, glancing at her then. Kate pulled her eyes away from the tv and gave him a nod then, licking her lips. They were so close then, and damn, that was a terrifying thought, but refreshing at the same time. 

When Kate glanced at the clock again, she got to her feet, moving to her bag to grab a change of underwear, a shirt to sleep in. She cast a quick glance at Seth before slipping into the bathroom to wash the dye out of her hair. Hearing the door close behind her, he sighed, taking a moment to feel the depth of his exhaustion, laying back against the mattress and staring up at the ceiling. Really, he should get up and change, get settled in for the night like a proper adult would, but instead, he just laid there, only scooting up a bit more to rest against the pillows. 

She came out of the bathroom twenty minutes later, drying her wet hair with a towel to find Seth already asleep, in his clothes, with the lights and tv still on, and Kate actually grinned at the sight. It felt familiar, like the times she’d come home to find him high out of his mind, draped across a bed that they’d have to share. At least now, she didn’t have to worry about him choking on his own sick, so she only even bothered to move the back of chips, the package of Oreos off the bed, stopping to take his shoes off as well. She turned off the tv and the overhead lights, flipping on the lamp on the nightstand between the two beds, and she fished out one of the books from her bag, wanting to let her hair dry for a while before going to sleep. That desire faded quickly though in the near silence of the hotel room as she listened to the soft sounds of Seth’s snores and breathing, the hum of the AC running in the corner. She settled further into the mattress, pulling the blankets over herself as she reached to turn off the lamp after twenty minutes of reading, ready to give herself over to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> let's see where this goes, shall we?  
> I haven't written fic in about three years, but goddamn, this series inspires me.  
> I'm a whore for the whole "everyone's dead and we're healing together" plot and such, hence this story.


End file.
